Best Schools for Industrial Engineering in California
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the industrial engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Industrial Engineering
University Of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in industrial engineering. This very large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Los Angeles. About 92% of students finish within six years. University Of Southern California awarded about 89 industrial engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Industrial Engineering graduates of University Of Southern California earn a median of $87,807 early in their careers. University Of Southern California graduates carry a median of $18,250 in student loans.
Read more about the industrial engineering program at University Of Southern California
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in industrial engineering, landing the #2 spot this year. This very large public university is located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo. Roughly 86% of students complete a degree within six years here. California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo awarded about 72 industrial engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the industrial engineering program make about $87,226 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $19,691.
Read more about the industrial engineering program at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
Students looking for a strong industrial engineering program will find one at San Jose State University, which ranked #3. This very large public university is located in the city of San Jose. Roughly 69% of students complete a degree within six years here. San Jose State University awarded about 68 industrial engineering degrees in the most recent data year.
Get the full industrial engineering details for San Jose State University
A rank of #4 makes California State Polytechnic University Pomona one of the top schools for industrial engineering. Located in the suburb of Pomona, California State Polytechnic University Pomona is a very large public university. About 68% of students finish within six years. About 64 industrial engineering degrees were awarded at California State Polytechnic University Pomona in the most recent year. Graduates of the industrial engineering program make about $75,110 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $25,000.
More information about a degree in industrial engineering from California State Polytechnic University Pomona
Students looking for a strong industrial engineering program will find one at California State University East Bay, which ranked #5. California State University East Bay is a large public school located in the suburb of Hayward. Roughly 48% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 15 industrial engineering degrees were awarded at California State University East Bay in the most recent year. Students who receive their industrial engineering degree from California State University East Bay earn around $58,951 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $18,073.
See the full industrial engineering program report for California State University East Bay
University Of San Diego placed #6 among the best industrial engineering schools. This large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of San Diego. University Of San Diego graduates 84% of students within six years. There were roughly 18 industrial engineering students who graduated with this degree at University Of San Diego in the most recent data year. Students who receive their industrial engineering degree from University Of San Diego earn around $80,644 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $23,795 to complete this degree.
Read more about the industrial engineering program at University Of San Diego
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 6 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
